Freak Show
by AshKetchumForever
Summary: Ash has been working in a sideshow circus for 20 years doing this amazing and gross trick that only he can do, but he's finally fed up with doing that he leaves to go and find love, but he finds it in the one person he least suspects. Palletshipping.
1. The Show!

**I don't own Pokemon.**

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 **Chapter 1:** **The Show!**

"Come one! Come all! See the amazing sideshow circus!" said a man in a top hat.

Many people were walking around the sideshow circus and they were being rounded towards a specific show that was included in the circus.

Some people had heard about this part of the circus and some hadn't so they weren't sure what they were expecting out of it.

 _(At The Show)_

A man that had raven-colored hair as he stood in front of a large crowd with a bunch of items on a table in front of him.

"Welcome, everyone, to the best part of the show! We have Ash, the inhuman eating freak! He eats any and everything that is placed in front of him including nonedible items like the ones that we have on the table." said the ringmaster as he motioned toward all of the inedible objects ranging from small to big.

The crowd was amazed as they got ready to see the man consume the items.

Before long, the man and downed everything and stuck out his tongue so that everyone would see that he wasn't lying.

The crowd clapped before they went on their way to see the other shows around the circus.

 _(With Ash)_

He went into his makeshift bed and sat down in a chair in front of a mirror.

He picked up a bottle of ibuprofen and took some as his stomach felt upset from the sudden intake of food.

He looked in the mirror and noticed how much he had changed since he first came to the sideshow circus.

He looked around his room and felt like this wasn't something that he wanted to keep doing for the rest of his life.

He found that he was missing something very important in his life and that was love.

He wanted to find love and he wanted it now instead of when he was ready to die.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed Chapter 1! Happy Valentine's Day! I know it's super short, but I promise that the rest of the chapters will be longer!**

 **AshKetchumForever-Action first-Think later!**


	2. Leaving!

**I don't own Pokemon.**

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 **Chapter 2:** **Leaving!**

Another day of the sideshow circus went by and the raven-haired man looked out from his room to see the tents being taken down and getting packed to leave early in the morning.

He sighed again as he worked on soothing a slightly upset stomach as he was forced to eat more inedible items than he was used to.

He went and laid in his bed before he heard something outside of his tent that resembled a bang on a canvas.

He slowly got up and looked out to his right to find his boss, Kai, standing right outside his door and pushed his way into the chocolate-eyed man's room and fell onto his bed.

"That was amazing. Maybe we should increase how much you eat again. Everyone was amazed at how you devoured what was in front of you. I definitely think that will keep you as our star attraction." said Kai, lying down on Ash's bed as he smiled smugly.

"I could do that, but it could end up hurting me in the long run." said Ash, placing a hand on his slightly distended stomach and wincing from a slight pain coursing through his stomach.

"You'll be fine. As long as you work for me, you will listen to me and increase what you eat." said Kai, getting up from the bed and looking the raven-haired man in the eyes with his anger rising.

"But it's already taken-" said Ash before he was interrupted as he was slapped in the face and fell to the ground from the pain that racked his body.

"Don't you back talk me! You will listen and do everything that I tell you. You've been here since you were a kid after you ran away from home. You should know that I don't enjoy backtalkers." said Kai, looking down at the man before walking out.

The raven-haired man just lied there on the floor and curled up into a ball as he cried from everything.

 _(A Few Days Later)_

Ash was standing with the other freaks of the circus when Kai announced that they were going to be performing in Viridian City for a couple of days, which should increase how much each of them will be paid slightly.

The other freaks just stood there and listened without any questions before they were dismissed from the meeting.

"Ash, are you alright? You haven't been yourself for a few days." asked Nicolette, who was an older woman with incredibly long nails that could pick anything up.

"Kai came into my room after our last show and demanded that I eat more than what he was placing in front of me. I tried to tell him that my stomach isn't as strong as it used to be, but he ended up slapping me in the face and telling me that I will do everything that he tells me to." replied Ash, sighing as he whispered that so that their boss didn't hear him in case he was around.

"That's terrible! I'm sorry, Ash. I've been told the same with lifting more and my nails are starting to weaken for how long I've done this and it's even longer than you've been alive." said Nicolette, giving him a squeeze on the shoulders.

She was one of a few freaks that cared about him and understood everything that he was going through.

"Thanks, Nicolette. I just wish that he would just let us leave if we weren't feeling up to the challenge of being a part of the circus anymore." said Ash, smiling slightly as he was starting to feel better.

"Well, you didn't hear it from me, but he never said when we joined that we couldn't leave on our terms." said Nicolette, winking at him with a smile before leaving to go into her tent.

" _He never said that we couldn't leave on our terms? I do remember never hearing him say that we were forced to stay here. I have a plan."_ thought Ash, processing everything in his mind before heading into his tent with a smug smile on his face as he worked out the details.

 _(In Viridian City)_

They were setting up for their show in Viridian City and Ash was waiting for the right time to put his plan into action.

They arrived around eight at night, which allowed them to quickly put up all of their tents and sleep so that they would be rested for the next couple of days of performances.

Midnight had come and everyone was asleep except for one person.

The raven-haired man had packed up his things and looked around the area to make sure that no one saw that he was leaving before working on making his way to his home town of Pallet Town.

" _I can't wait to see Mom and give her a big hug. I've missed her so much."_ thought Ash, smiling as he ran towards his home in the distance.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2! Things are starting to get interesting! See ya later!**

 **AshKetchumForever-Action first-Think later!**


	3. Meeting Up With A Friend!

**I don't own Pokemon.**

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 **Chapter 3:** **Meeting Up With A Friend!**

He was very nervous as he walked toward his house.

He hadn't been there in about 20 years and wasn't sure what his mom would think about him.

He slowly knocked on the door and waited as he heard shuffling from within the house before the door opened.

"Hello?" asked Mrs. Ketchum, slightly confused to who would be at the door this late.

"Hi, Mom." said Ash with a small smile.

Her eyes lit up and flung her arms around the man's neck to hug him tightly, which he returned happily.

"Honey, where have you been? I've been wondering about you so much. Come in and I'll get you something." said Mrs. Ketchum happily as she hurried him inside.

"I've been all over the world, but wished I had stayed home and went on my pokemon journey instead of running away. To leave this house, to leave you alone, was the worst mistake I've made all those years ago." said Ash, sitting down at the kitchen table, holding his head down slightly.

"Oh, Ash. It's alright because you needed to find who you were and what you wanted instead of me always telling you what to do. You've always been that way from the start." said Mrs. Ketchum, giggling a little bit with her last sentence as she made them some hot chocolate.

"I know, but I've regretted it so much, but more recently than ever." said Ash, looking down at the table before seeing a cup of hot chocolate being placed in front of him.

"I've had a feeling that you might come to that conclusion sooner than later. I've been hearing what was going on at the sideshow circus that you were in and how cruel the ringmaster has been." said Mrs. Ketchum, sitting down at the table to his immediate right.

"How do you know about the circus?" asked Ash, shocked.

"When you've been close to town, I would go and watch the show just to see you and even Gary would join me from time to time when he was in town too. There's recently been a lot of news about how the cops are currently watching them in Viridian City to see if there is any abuse or illegal things that are going on in that circus." said Mrs. Ketchum, sadly as she looked at her hot chocolate before taking a small sip.

"So you're telling me that you knew where I was and never said anything until now? Why would you do that? Also, the news about abuse throughout the circus is correct with the ringmaster. He's gotten worse in the last couple of weeks, which is why I left tonight with no one knowing." said Ash, surprised before calming down and taking a sip of his hot chocolate too.

He also felt his heart skip a beat when she mentioned Gary's name as he always had a small crush on the boy when he was little.

"Yes. I didn't come to tell you that I was there because there was so much security and they basically rushed you away before I could even see you after your show." said Mrs. Ketchum sadly.

He looked over at his mom before getting up and giving her a big hug and he held her for a few minutes because he had missed her so much.

"It's ok, Mom. I've quit the circus for good. How about we head to bed and we can talk more in the morning?" said Ash, smiling as they finished their hot chocolate.

Mrs. Ketchum agreed and placed their mugs in the sink before they went up into their bedrooms for a very peaceful slumber.

 _(In The Morning)_

The raven-haired man slowly woke up as a small patch of sun hit his face from his window.

He got up and heard something downstairs, something that sounded like voices.

He put on his clothes and made his way downstairs when he gasped at the sight in front of him.

There was his mother and his crush since childhood, Gary, sitting at the table talking as they ate their breakfast together.

"Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep? Do you want something to eat?" asked Mrs. Ketchum, getting up to give her son a hug before motioning for him to sit with them as she made him breakfast.

"It's heard to believe that you're back, Ashy Boy. It's actually nice to see you without shoving weird things into your mouth besides food." said Gary, smiling.

"You're telling me. I'm so happy to be out of there." said Ash, smiling and feeling his heartbeat quicken from being around Gary.

He also felt a small blush rush across his face before he stopped himself from being flustered by the brunette man.

Before long, the chocolate-eyed man had his breakfast in front of him and they were enjoying being together as they ate together.

 _(Back In Viridian City)_

"It's almost show time, everyone! Get into your positions!" said Kai, rushing everyone to get into their positions.

He looked around and noticed that there was something off with everyone, like something was missing.

He noticed that the raven-haired man wasn't in his position yet so he went towards his tent as the ringmaster knew that the man knew better than to be late.

"Ash? Are you ready for your big performance?" asked Kai as he knocked on the tent's door.

When he didn't hear anything from inside the tent, he went in and yelled loudly before racing out of the tent.

Nicolette was nearby and waited a few minutes before checking out her friend's tent to find him gone.

"Enjoy your life, Ash. Make it a happy one." said Nicolette to herself as she left the tent and went back to her position.

Kai was racing back to his own tent and quickly gathered his guards to start searching for the raven-haired man and to get him back to the circus before it was his time in the spotlight.

They agreed before racing out of the tent to find the man, no matter what the circumstances were.

"That brat won't get far. He'll pay for leaving us." said Kai angrily before heading to the stage to start the show.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed Chapter 3! I'm sorry I'm a day late, but I spent the weekend with my parents and didn't get back until late as well as my boyfriend had hockey last night. I also got a (semi) new monitor for my computer and can now use the TV I've been using as an actual TV. Yay! This week has been better and I'm starting to get back to myself. Just had some ups and downs in my life, that's all. I'll be fine. I promise. With that being said, see ya later!**

 **AshKetchumForever-Action first-Think later!**


	4. Taking Action!

**I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** **Taking Action!**

The raven-haired man and the brunette were walking towards Professor Oak's lab while they were catching up.

The chocolate-eyed man was very happy to get back to a sense of normal and he felt his heart start racing a bit because of being with his crush after so long.

He looked at the brunette and he couldn't believe how the man looked after all of his travels as well as, dare he say it, handsomer than before.

The brunette was content with spending the time alone with the raven-haired man and was starting to feel his heart race from looking at him.

Neither man would admit it, but they secretly had a crush on each other throughout the years.

 _(At The Lab)_

Professor Oak and Tracey were surprised to see the chocolate-eyed man again and greeted him with open arms and smiles.

They soon caught up on what he's been up to as well as how the Professor's research has come such a long way.

"Hey, Ash. Want to take a look at my pokemon?" asked Gary, standing up.

"Yes, please!" replied Ash, standing up quickly.

Gary chuckled at the man before leading him into the back and the man was in awe of how many pokemon he had caught.

"Go on and play with them. They get tired of me playing with them after a while." said Gary, smiling.

"Thanks so much!" said Ash, running towards the pokemon and started to play with them.

"He looks very happy, Gary. I hope you can keep him that way." said Professor Oak, coming from behind the brunette and scaring him.

"Well, I intend to. I want to take him on his own journey and to be a human, not a freak in a circus." said Gary, recomposing himself.

"That's great, Gary, but I know that both of you like each other. If neither of you tell each other soon, then it might be something you two will regret." said Professor Oak with a wink at the brunette before walking back into the lab.

" _He knew all along that we liked each other. He's right. If I don't tell Ash soon, he might slip out of my hands right in front of me."_ thought Gary, before getting interrupted by the raven-haired man calling for him.

"Gary, come over and play with us!" said Ash, waving him over.

The brunette smiled before running over to them and jumping on the pokemon pile.

 _(With The Guards)_

They had an idea of where the man went to as they knew just as much about the man as Kai.

They crept through the town and slowly approached the lab from the side and they heard voices coming from inside the lab.

They found a way to look into the lab and found a pile of pokemon, a brunette, and the raven-haired man that they had been looking for.

They ran back to the circus to inform Kai about this in between acts and he smiled maliciously.

"Prepare to bring the brat back. Once the show concludes, then we go after him. I knew he couldn't run that far." said Kai, ordering the guards to get ready.

 _(Back With Ash And Gary)_

They were having fun playing with the pokemon when they accidentally fell on each other.

They blushed big as Gary looked down at the chocolate-eyed man below him.

"I'm sorry, Ash." said Gary, getting up from on top of the man. "It's ok." said Ash, keeping his blush as he tried to stop his heart from racing.

"Ash, I've wanted to tell you since we were kids, but you disappeared before I could say…that…I…I love you." said Gary, feeling his blush get bigger and his heart racing.

"Gary, I've felt the same way. I love you too." said Ash, feeling his heart racing.

They leaned in and shared their first kiss together before they heard an explosion coming from their left side.

They looked up and found Kai standing there with his guards surrounding him.

"Kai." said Ash, with anger showing in his eyes.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed Chapter 4! I was supposed to have this written and posted last week, but I had a couple of things come up. I promise that this will be finished on Easter a.k.a. April Fools Day and I'll have another story ready for your enjoyment. See ya later!**

 **AshKetchumForever-Action first-Think later!**


	5. Boss Vs Freak!

**I don't own Pokemon.**

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 **Chapter 5:** **Boss Vs Freak!**

"What do you think you're doing here, Kai?!" said Ash, standing up with anger in his eyes.

"I came to bring you back." said Kai with a malicious smile on his face.

"I'm never coming back to the circus! I want my own life!" said Ash, standing his ground.

Kai looked down at the brunette that was sitting on the ground and smiled as he thought about something.

"If you come with us, we won't hurt your lover." said Kai, smiling maliciously as he looked at the brunette.

The raven-haired man got scared and looked at the brunette next to him before feeling something around his neck.

Kai had wrapped his right arm around the chocolate-eyed man's neck and was holing something against his back.

"Come on, you brat. It's time that you get back for your next show." said Kai, pushing the man towards the guards.

Before he knew it, Kai was on the floor with a foot on his throat.

He looked up and saw the raven-haired man standing above him with a devious smile.

Soon, the man was tackled off of Kai by one of the guards and the man with the top hat stood up as the raven-haired man was reeling from the pain in his back from hitting the ground hard.

"So, you wanna fight? How about a fight between just us and no one else?" asked Kai, handing over the gun that he held and motioned for his guard to move away from their star.

"Y-yeah. I agree." replied Ash, slowly getting up.

"Ash-" said Gary, starting to protest, but was interrupted.

"Stay out of this, Gary. It's my fight." said Ash, glancing over at the brunette.

The brunette nodded and ran back from the battle ground to allow his lover to fight his own fight.

"If I win, you come back and stay with the circus for the rest of your life." said Kai, smiling.

"If I win, then I get my freedom and you leave me and my lover alone forever." said Ash, getting into a battle stance.

"Agreed." said the two in unison before starting to fight.

The raven-haired man started and aimed a punch at Kai's face before getting punched hard in the stomach.

He landed a few feet back and worked on getting the air back into his lungs before getting back up.

It was Kai's turn to attack and before he knew it, he was on the ground, face first, as he was tripped by the chocolate-eyed man.

Kai got back up and soon they were engaged in a fist fight before the raven-haired man did a roundhouse kick and knocked the ringmaster onto the ground.

 _(With Gary)_

No one noticed that he slipped into the lab and called Officer Jenny to come and arrest the ringmaster from the circus in Viridian City.

He explained what was happening and how he wasn't sure if anyone would survive the fight.

Officer Jenny said that they would be there in less than ten minutes and to keep an eye on the two as they fought.

The brunette tried to calm himself down as he watched his lover fall to the ground as he was punched once again by his boss.

He went back out to the battle ground and hoped that the teal-haired officer would be able to make it before he lost his lover.

 _(Back With Ash)_

He was slowly sitting up with an arm around his stomach as it still ached from the first punch.

He was breathing heavily as he got up and slowly let go of his stomach as he held a fist out.

"You are pathetic. You can barely place a punch on me. You better say goodbye to you lover as I can tell that you've already lost." said Kai, laughing maliciously.

"Shut up! I'm just getting warmed up!" said Ash, looking at him.

Before the ringmaster knew it, he had received multiple punches from the brat, causing him to take a few steps back.

He placed a hand onto his cheek and saw blood as he looked down at his hand.

He was then roundhouse kicked again onto the ground and pinned by the raven-haired man with a hand on his throat and his body covered by the brat's.

"I-I guess…this means…that you…win…" said Kai, a bit muffled as the raven-haired man applied pressure onto his throat.

"Good." said Ash, smiling deviously as he let up his grip on the ringmaster.

"But I still get the last hit." said Kai, pushing his hand into the man's stomach.

The chocolate-eyed man screamed in pain and collapsed on his side onto the ground next to the ringmaster as he held his belly and saw blood seeping out between his fingers.

The brunette ran over to the man on the ground and noticed that Kai was getting up with a knife in his hand, covered in blood.

There was a loud bang that came from the entrance way and they found Officer Jenny and her officers standing there with guns pointed at the ringmaster and his guards.

"You are under arrest for multiple accounts of abuse and attempted murder." said Officer Jenny as her officers arrested the ringmaster and his guards.

She went over to the two males and ran into the lab to get Professor Oak and Tracey.

They ran out and saw a pool of blood that was starting to form by the raven-haired man.

They noticed that Gary had taken his own shirt off and pressed it against the man's stomach to help slow down the bleeding.

Between the three of them, they rushed him into the lab and Professor Oak and Tracey worked for a couple of hours to stop the bleeding and see how back the wound was.

While they were working on the man, the brunette called the man's mother to let he know what had happened and before he knew it, she was waiting with him to see what would happen to her son.

"Mrs. Ketchum, I finally admitted my feelings towards him." said Gary, looking at the floor.

"Let me guess, he returned your feelings?" asked Mrs. Ketchum giving him a small smile and he gave her a nod.

While they were waiting for word on the man, they turned the TV on and found that the circus had been shut down and that Kai was in jail for a long time for the abuse and attempted murder.

 _(A Few Hours Later)_

Professor Oak and Tracey came out with an exhausted look on their faces, but they gave the two smiles nonetheless.

"Good news, he survived and is doing well with recovering. He'll be back to himself in no time." said Tracey with a smile.

"The bad news is that we found that his stomach has grown very weak from everything that he did in the circus and he will have to take medication to keep everything working and to build up some strength back." said Professor Oak with a stern face that relaxed after he gave them hope that the man will survive and have a normal life.

"That's great! Can we see him, Grandpa?" asked Gary, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Right this way." replied Professor Oak as he led the way to the raven-haired man's room.

When they walked in, they could see the bruises already forming from the fight and the bandages that covered the wound.

Chocolate eyes were fluttering awake and he blinked a couple of times to clear his vision before seeing his mom and lover there.

"Hey. Sorry to worry you two." said Ash with a small smile.

"As long as you're alright that's all that matters, honey." said Mrs. Ketchum, placing a hand on her son's cheek.

They all had smiles even after Professor Oak explained to the man about taking medicine for his stomach.

Before long, it was getting late and the others has left to head off to bed except for the raven-haired man and the brunette.

They talked a little bit before the brunette asked him if he would go on a journey with him once he's healed and the raven-haired man agreed.

"I love you, Ash." said Gary with a smile.

"I love you too, Gary." said Ash, returning his smile.

They kissed as they were excited about what was in their future.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed Chapter 5! Happy Easter and April Fool's Day! This has a fun fic to write and I can't wait to see what you guys think about my new fic. If you were wondering where I was getting most of my inspiration for this chapter especially with the fight, I've been watching Fullmetal Alchemist and have enjoyed it a lot. I'm watching the original one while my boyfriend and I have started on Brotherhood. See ya later!**

 **AshKetchumForever-Action first-Think later!**


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